Clevis.



' c. A. NORMAN.

OLEVIS. rrmaurron IILED JUNE 14, 1910.

Patented Dec.1v3,191 0.

JiwM/% m/z Q Attorneys CHARLES A. NORMAN, 0F LATIMER, KANSAS.

CLEVIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Application filed June 14, 1910. Serial No. 566,833.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ci-IAnLns A. NORMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Latimer, in the county of Morris and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Clevis, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved clevis and the invention aims more particularly to provide a clevis which will be held firmly closed by the pull exerted by the draft device connected to it but which may be readily opened, manually, to permit of the disengagement of the draft devices therefor. The clevis is, however, not held closed solely by this pull exerted, but a latch means is provided for assisting in holding the clevis closed so that when the clevis is relieved of the pull of the draft devices, momentarily as frequently happens the clevis will not open but will remain closed.

l/Vith the above and other objects in View, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a clevis constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a similar View but illustrating the clevis partly open, and Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view through a portion of the clevis.

In the drawings, the pin of the clevis is indicated by the numeral 5 and the upper portion or hook of the clevis is indicated by the numeral 6, it being secured at its rear end to the upper end of the pin and projects forwardly therefrom and thence downwardly and rearwardly to afford a hill 7 The lower portion of the clevis is in the nature of a bar 8 which at its forward end is formed with a channeled or inverted U- shaped upwardly forwardly curved extension 9 adapted to fit the portion 7 of the clevis to conform to the curvature thereof when the said bar 8 is in one position. The side portions of the extension 9 are formed each with an L-shaped slot, the vertical branch of which slot is indicated by the numeral 10 and its horizontal branch by the numeral 11 and the bill 7 of the upper portion of the clevis is provided at its extremity with opposite laterally projecting studs 12 which project into the corresponding slots in the spaced sides of the part 9, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Normally, the studs "12 are positioned in the upper ends of the vertical branches 10 of the said slots and the extension 9 fits snugly against the concaved side of the bill 7 and at its rear end, the bar 8 is formed with an opening 13 receiving the lower end of the pin 5 when the bar is in the position stated. The said lower end of the pin 5 is formed with a shoulder 14 at its rear side and at its forward side is reduced or cut-away as at 15, and is provided with a sprin catch 16 and when the bar is in the position stated, the rear edge of the opening in the bar will rest upon the shoulder 14 of the pin 5 and its forward edge will rest upon the shoulder 17 of the catch 16.

From the foregoing it will be readily understood that should the bar 8 be moved rearwardly, the spring latch will be sprung into the cut-away part 15 of the pin 5 and the rear edge of the opening 13 would clear the shoulder 14 and in order that the bar may be so moved, its forward end is to be lifted to about the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings and thev bar is then moved bodily rearwardly so as to bring the studs 12 into position in the for ward ends of the horizontal branches 11 of the slots. After so moving the bar rearwardly, the spring catch 16 may be readily engaged by the finger of the operator and held while the rear end of the bar is disengaged from the lower end of the pin 5, where upon the bar may be swung down upon the studs 1.2 as a pivot so as to allow for the connection with or disengagement from the clevis of the draft devices, such as the ring or hook of a double tree. It will be readily understood that after the ring of a double tree has been engaged with the clevis, the bar may be swung up upon the studs 12 as a pivot to close the clevis, its rear end locking :mtomatically with the shoulder 14 and catch 16 at the lower end of the pin 5. It will further be understood that the pull exerted upon the ring engaged with the clevis will be brought to bear directly forwardly against the extension 9 and will hold this extension firmly in position against the hill 7 and will consequently hold the bar in closed position, or in other words, in the position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. Momentary release from this pulling strain will, however, not allow the clevis to Cir open, inasmuch as the bar is held against dropping through the instrumentality of the said shoulder 14 and catch 16.

hat is claimed is:

In a clevis, an upper part having a hooked forward end and having a pin depending from its rear end and provided at its lower end with a shoulder, a lower part having a forward channeled extension fitting the hook of the upper part when the clevis is closed and formed at its rear end with an opening receiving the shouldered lower end of the pin, the sides of the channeled extension being formed with slots and the upper part formed at the extremity of its hook with studs fitting in the slots, and means normally yieldably holding the lower member in a forward direction, said means comprising a leaf spring secured to the pin at its lower end and bearing against the-forward wall of the opening in the said lower member and holding the rear wall of the opening in engagement with the shoulder at the lower end of the pin.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\Vitnesses:

WV. H. Asian, R. R. ADAM. 

